Map Your Adventure

Big Horn Ranch (BHR) is located in McDonald County, Missouri, a county rich in history and folklore. The county is noted for the four primary streams that flow through it. One of them, Big Mike’s Creek, flows through Big Horn Ranch. The first settlement in McDonald County was in 1827 on Big Sugar Creek.

Many settlers followed and located along the creeks and river bottoms. Mike’s Creek greets you as you enter BHR, and is named after the first settler to this Indian Territory to settle on that stream, Phillip Michael. Big Sugar Creek has as its source Benton County, Arkansas. Its name is derived from the abundance of sugar maples that continue to grow along its bottom. These trees abundantly supplied early settlers with maple syrup and sugar. The streams are all fed by springs, and the water is unusually cold. One peculiarity of the smaller courses is that they become “lost” or run underground. It is not unusual to observe water running rapidly then disappear below bedrock, only to reappear a few yards further downstream. There are many deep pools in the creeks broken by shallow areas flowing rapidly over the abundant river rock.

The land has always been known for its pure, cold water and streams alive with fish, an abundance of wildlife in the forests, and fertile though somewhat rocky soil.

Big Horn Ranch (BHR) was established in 2001 by the late J. B. Hunt. On this 1910 acre property he build an 8,000 sf lodge and 2,600 sf guest house, skeet and trap range, game cleaning facility, dog kennels, and six outback cabins. He high fenced 1,800 acres for the enjoyment of his clients, friends and family, stocking the property with exotic and domestic game. Since that time, the ranch has been transformed into a wildlife preserve, focusing primarily on improving the habitat for the white-tailed deer, quail and trout.

Dr. Grant Woods began reshaping the property in 2007, building exceptional food plots with close water sources and protective cover nearby for the whitetail. Controlled burns have encouraged native grasses and forbs to reappear, and food plots of corn and soybeans have provided additional nourishment for the deer and other wildlife. His success is reflected in the development of the area and the exponential increase in wildlife on the property.